Review #152: Bardstown Bourbon Company Discovery Series #11

COST: MSRP of $140 for 750mL bottle (I'm reviewing a sample)

AGE and MASH BILL: This expression is a blend of the following components:

●       73% 13yr Kentucky bourbon - 75% corn, 13% rye, 12% malted barley (guess Wild Turkey)

●       21% 10yr Kentucky bourbon - 78% corn, 13% rye, 9% malted barley (unsure)

●       6% 6yr BBCo wheated bourbon - 68% corn, 20% wheat, 12% malted barley

PROOF: 118.1

Originally, Bardstown Bourbon Company offered the Discovery Series and Fusion Series. The Discovery Series was a way for BBCo to highlight their barrel selection and blending prowess, while the Fusion Series featured a majority of BBCo’s own younger whiskey but blended with other distillers’ whiskey to help round it out. I sat on the Disco series for a long time while checking out Fusion series expressions instead because I wanted to try something that actually had BBCo juice in it and not just a blend of other distilleries’ stuff. Then after the Fusion Series was brought to a close, I finally tried a couple Discos and after trying Disco #8 I was kicking myself in the ass for holding out so long!

Fast forward to today where the Fusion Series has been sunsetted and the BBCo Origin series is in full swing, they have decided to start making some of the Discovery Series expressions somewhat similar to what the Fusion Series used to be - a blend of BBCo whiskey along with barrels from other distillers (except so far the BBCo component is a definite minority in the blends). Discovery Series #11 is the first such expression with a blend featuring 94% 10+ year Kentucky bourbon and 6% 6yr BBCo wheated bourbon. Similarly, Disco 12 features 92% 10+ year old Kentucky bourbon and 8% 6 yr BBCo 4 grain mash bill bourbon. I suspect future Disco releases will follow a similar trend.

But today, we're checking out Discovery Series #11. After being blown away by Disco #8, let's see how this new age of Disco expressions performs.

Reviewed neat in a Glencairn.

APPEARANCE: Deep amber (1.5); clings to the side of the glass.

NOSE: Raspberry, spearmint, brown sugar simple syrup, and seasoned oak, Red Hot candies, a touch of vanilla, and a little nutty toffee. This hits it all bases but most prominently features that raspberry and mint with cinnamon towards the end. This is a very good smelling whiskey with no proof heat on the nose.

PALATE: Maraschino cherries, cinnamon sticks, and caramel lead the way followed by some toasted oak and earthiness. At mid-palate this gets a bit brighter with ripe red berry sweetness, light orange peel, and mint going into the finish. With a good chew the cherry note really dominates the palate with a little vanilla.

FINISH: Long and dry. A medicinal cherry note stands out right away. Earthier notes of old oak and leather last longest bringing a tannic bitterness along with them. While I haven't picked up much proof heat this far, the finish does come a little hot on the palate with a cinnamon spice amplifying the heat, but there is no hug.

RATING: 8.2/10

VALUE: 5.5/10 (This is an attempt to take into account price, tasting rating, age, and proof. See my spreadsheet for more details.)

OVERALL: This is not Disco #8. It's a hard bar to meet, I recognize, but I pretty much have to compare all other Discovery expressions to it now because it set a new standard for the Disco series. Overall, I loved the nose of this one, the palate was good but not as complex as I was expecting, and the finish fell short of the nose and palate, mostly in that the heat at the tail end wasn't the best experience to close a sip out with. I do like that the red fruit sweetness mostly dominated but being balanced by some earthiness and light spice notes.

1 | Disgusting | ...I've not subjected myself to this level

2 | Poor | Balcones Lineage

3 | Bad | High West Double Rye, Jefferson's Ocean 28

4 | Sub-par | Weller's SR, Woodford Reserve Distiller's Select

5 | Good | Buffalo Trace, Sazerac Rye, Green River Wheated

6 | Very Good | Blanton's, Holladay Bourbons, Eagle Rare

7 | Great | Baker's 7yr SiB, BBCo Origin High Wheat, 1792 BiB

8 | Excellent | Most ECBP batches, JD SiB BiB, High West MWND Act 11

9 | Incredible | Woodford Reserve Batch Proof 121.2, BBC DS #7, Four Roses OESQ

10 | Perfect | Found North Batch 08

 

Check out all my reviews: Woodgrain & Whiskey.